Alumni of Coi and Manresa discuss the lessons they learned

Over the weekend, a feature article in the Food Section took the opportunity of this month’s releases of the Coi and Manresa cookbooks to take a step back and reflect on the impacts that Daniel Patterson and David Kinch have had on the Bay Area. As noted in the article, Patterson and Kinch are by no means the only chefs pushing California cuisine into new heights, but they certainly hold an important place in the current climate (someone astutely compared them to Magic and Larry).

The two restaurants are now old enough that alumni of the two family trees have scattered throughout the state and opened their own restaurants. And we spoke to a few of them (not all of them) to see how their experiences Coi and/or Manresa influenced their careers.

So, consider this the director’s cut of the Sunday piece.

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Illustration by John Blanchard

Evan Rich on what it was like working at Coi: “It’s an unreal situation, that dream restaurant where you get to focus on a small task you have and doing it right … It could be stressful for people, but for me it was cleansing, really pure. Your list was maybe six items. In a normal restaurant that’s nothing, but there, it was all about details.”

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John Blanchard

Jeremy Fox on working at Manresa: “I worked with some of the best cooks of my career there. James Syhabout, Josef Centeno, Marty Cattaneo, Kim Alter, John Paul Carmona, John Madriaga. It was almost like a think tank, this small group where everyone brought something different to the table, and then it all got shaken like a cocktail. And that’s why Manresa kept evolving, because it was a product of the environment. It was — and is — a living, breathing thing. It’s always changing … His leadership style is calm, even nurturing.

“I remember very early on, his parents were eating in the restaurant, and he let me, the new guy, cook some of the things his parents got. In basically every restaurant, if there was every a VIP, the chef or sous chef cooked it Another time, there was an investor dinner. We served a salad and I didn’t wash the lettuce well enough, so the leaves were gritty. I was expecting to get screamed at, but he calmly told me to really focus and make sure I’m not just going through the motions. Just because I put lettuce in the water and wash it doesn’t mean it’s clean. It might take two or three times. You can’t just dial it in. You need think about it.”

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Illustration by John Blanchard

Charlie Parker on his impressions working at both Manresa and Plum: “They both have tremendous work ethics, number one. I guess you have to, to get to that level … Their philosophies are similar, but the end results are different. Both take extreme good care of the product they’re using. Both are definitely have a though process of using the right ingredients a the right time and not manipulating or changing the actual outcome of it … I learned tremendous appreciation for the product. We’re so blessed to be in California with great produce, so it’s about being able to build relationships with local farmers, using the right product at the right time.”

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Illustration by John Blanchard

Kendra Baker on what she learned at Manresa: “It’s bigger than just food. That creation of a sense of place, a sense of time, and really, a story. It’s more than food. That was amazing to come into that realization … [When creating new dishes] David always said go for it — and then take 10 items off. Explore all options — and then peel all the layers until you get to the core pieces that make sense.”

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Illustration by John Blanchard

James Syhabout on what he learned at Manresa: “It’s not just technique, but overall discipline. At the end of the day, it’s OK to cook for yourself … California is so broad, from northern California to southern California. But at the end of the day, it’s all a big melting pot, with so much diversity. Yeah there are nuances and influences here and there. But that’s who were are, that’s what we grew up with. Now, California cuisine is about the chef.”

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John Blanchard

Bill Corbett on his experience at Coi: “When I interviewed, he put it this way: ‘We want Coi to be an expression of Bay Area. This is San Francisco, this is northern California.’ Working there really got me more and more in tune with what was going on around me, in a very exciting way … When I was at Coi, I stripped away, I simplified. It helped me see where certain things aren’t necessary, and less is more.”

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John Blanchard

Jake Godby on what it was like working as a pastry chef at Coi: “It’s a really small kitchen so you’re all in the same room, so I was next to the meat cook. You’re all a part of it together, and that made the menu seamless. And I was able to steal ingredients from the savory stations. It was my first introduction to vadouvan. He opened my eyes to incorporating more things that are traditionally savory.”

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Illustration by John Blanchard

Belinda Leong on what she remembers from her time at Manresa: “Being able to work with Love Apple Farm, and just seeing the way that Chef [Kinch] creates when he’s there. He’s there everyday, running service. The way his mind works is so cool … He had me incorporate savory side into pastry, which was pretty new to me. We bounced ideas back and forth, but I definitely started using more herbs and tapping into the savory side.”